John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Wong. Given that the UN-declared International Year of Co-operatives is coming to an end, given that the sector has invested in and supported an entirely industry-funded national campaign to raise the level of awareness of the role of cooperative and mutual businesses in the national economy, with no federal financial contribution, and given the proposed new national regulations designed to reduce red tape, cut costs and improve cooperatives' ability to compete with other businesses: with the release by the New South Wales state government of the draft cooperatives national regulations for public and industry comment, can the government give a commitment to support the full national implementation of the newly coherent laws to ensure Australia's estimated 1,600 cooperative businesses can take advantage of the approved and practical operational laws that govern their formation and business activities?